GOLDEN HOUR
18 May, 8pm

Celebrate Reel Festivals at The Golden Hour
Edinburgh’s premiere literary cabaret featuring new Arabic and English translations from these thrilling local and international writers:

William Letford
William Letford lives in Stirling, Scotland and works as a roofer. In 2008 he received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust, and an SQA Star Award. He has been published in various magazines and anthologies including Poetry Scotland and New Writing Scotland.

Emily Ballou
Emily Ballou is a Glasgow-based Australian-American poet, screenwriter and novelist. She is the author of the novels Father Lands and Aphelion (Picador), and the recent verse-portrait of Charles Darwin The Darwin Poems (UWA Publishing). She lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

Tom Pow
Tom Pow was the first Writer in Residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was StAnza’s Poet in Residence in 2005. Dear Alice Narratives of Madness (Salt) won the poetry category in the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards in 2009. In the Becoming, New and Selected Poems (Polygon), was published in 2009.

Rasha Omran
Rasha Omran is a Syrian poet with a degree in Arabic literature from Damascus University. Since 1997 she has published four collections of poetry: Rajaa Lahu Shakal al-Haya; Ka’ana Manfay Jasady; Thilak al-Mumatad Fi Aqsa Hanini and Ma’atif Ahmar Faragh as well as compiling an anthology of Syrian Poetry. She is the director of the annual Al-Sindiyana festival of culture in Syria.

Golan Haji
Golan Haji is a Syrian poet, with a postgraduate degree in pathology. He has published a number of books including Called in Darkness (2004) which won the ‘Al-Maghut’ prize in poetry; and Someone Sees You as a Monster (2008). His next collection My Cold Faraway Home will be published in Autumn 2011. He has also translated various works into Arabic including the Scottish classic - Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He lives in Damascus.

Mazen Maarouf
Mazen Maarouf is a Palestinian poet and journalist, living as a refugee in Beirut. He has published a number of books including Kaan Hoznona Khobz/It was our sadness as bread (2000) and Camera La Taltaket Al Aasafir/The camera does not frame birds (2004). His most recent collection of poetry is currently in press and he is also translating the poems of William Blake into Arabic.

Yehia Jaber
Yehia Jaber is a Lebanese poet, playwright, communist, journalist and actor. Amongst other literary and political works, he has published six collections of poetry: A Pool of Serum (1988); The Rascals (1991); Take The Book By Force (1994); Like If I Was A Divorced Woman (2007); For Adults Only (2008); and Love In A Washing Machine (2010). In 2010 he performed his previous poetry collection as a theatrical work entitled O Yahya Jaber, Take The Book By Force (Stand Up Poetry). He lives in Beirut.

All this plus short films and an eclectic range of music from Scotland and the the Levant including OkyDoky, Belvedere Mountain Express and Hiva Oa!

Jade And The Jacks
9-Piece Band - Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Ska, Reggae and more…
4th May, 8pm

Ten Tracks & The Forest Cafe present
Roofraiser - Save The Forest Cafe with Jade and the Jacks